The Big O — averaged a triple-double for an entire season, a feat not matched for 55 years.
Oscar Palmer Robertson was born in Charlotte, Tennessee in 1938. He averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game in 1961-62 — averaging a triple-double for an entire season, a feat not repeated until Russell Westbrook in 2016-17. He averaged 25.7 points, 9.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds across his career. He won the NBA MVP in 1964. He was selected to 12 All-Star games and named All-NBA First Team nine times. He won the NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He won Olympic gold with the USA at Rome 1960. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980 and named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team. He filed the landmark Robertson v. NBA antitrust lawsuit in 1970 — the settlement in 1976 established free agency in basketball, fundamentally changing players' rights and compensation forever. His basketball legacy and his legal legacy are equally transformative — he changed both how the game was played and how players were compensated for playing it.
First player to average a triple-double for an entire season
How They Played
Complete player excelling in scoring, rebounding, and playmaking with exceptional court vision
Lasting Impact
One of the greatest all-around players in NBA history, revolutionized the point guard position
NBA Champion (1971)
Career Honours
- NBA Champion (1971)
- NBA MVP (1964)
- All-Star 12x
- All-NBA First Team 9x
- Hall of Fame (1980)
- NBA 50th Anniversary Team
- Olympic Gold (1960)